Lacrymosa
by CelticFlower
Summary: The axis are invited to go with the allies camping. Just...no one realized that England had arranged for them to be camping in a haunted graveyard. Full summary inside. -ON HIATUS-
1. The Arrival

**DISCLAIMER: None of the characters in this story or the countries or Axis Powers Hetalia belong to me. Everything is © Himaruya Hidekaz.**

**Author's Note(s): **I started this story some time back as a Christmas present for my friend Alex. It was origionally going to be short, but the plot sort of ran away with me.

**Title: **Lacrymosa

**Genre:** Suspense, Horror, Romance

**Warnings/Rating:** PG- Character death, possible kisses, use of human names.

**Characters/Pairings:**Austria, Prussia, America, England, France, Canada, Japan, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, Prussia/Austria, America/England

**Summary:**The axis are invited to go with the allies camping, with Prussia, Austria, and Canada tagging along, of course. Just...no one realized that England had arranged for them to be camping in a haunted graveyard. After a scary story, they wind up getting caught in a twisted fantasy, and some might not make it out alive...

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**Chapter One:**

"I'm so bored! Do something, Roddy!" Came a complaint from the back of the crowded van.

"Do shut up, Gilbert. We're almost there, so if you could please just be quiet for the rest of the car ride?" Roderich responded in a tired voice.

"But it's crowded back here!" Gilbert whined, "You don't know 'cause you're a priss and forced West to let you sit up front!" Roderich only sighed, reflecting on how he had managed to end up stuck in a van with four others. How had this whole thing started?

*Yesterday, 1:47 p.m*

Ludwig finished up putting his papers back in his briefcase before heading over to where his brother and Roderich stood, bickering as usual.

"How in the world did you even get passed the guards?" Roderich asked, sounded annoyed and peeved.

"Using my awesome skills, of course! No one could argue when subjected to my charm!" Came Gilbert's confident reply. Ludwig sighed. His brother had somehow gotten in the meeting, and caused all of the chaos that was only to be expected of him. Not that the world conference meetings were ever productive in the first place. More often than not it merely ended in bickering and multiple unhappy and unsatisfied countries.

"Ludwig! Ludwig!" Before Roderich was able to respond, an all too familiar cheerful yell came from across the room. The three turned to see Feliciano rushing towards them, pulling along Kiku.

"Let Kiku go, Feliciano. I'm sure he doesn't appreciate being dragged along like that." Ludwig ordered sternly when Feliciano reached them.

"Ah, it's alright, Ludwig-san." Kiku reassured politely. Feliciano ignored them and continued on whatever he had been about to say.

"Ludwig! We should all get together to eat lunch! I can make pasta! Do you want pasta? Pasta's really good!" He exclaimed. But before anyone could make a response, they were interrupted again, this time by a new source.

"Hey guys! The hero has arrived!" Announced a loud voice, and turning once more, they saw Alfred rushing towards them.

"Hello Alfred-kun." Japan replied quietly, but his voice was overpowered by Feliciano's.

"Hey Alfred! What are you having for lunch? We're all going to have pasta!"

"Really? I'm going to have a burger, because they're awesome and all, but that's not why I came over here! What are you all doing tomorrow? You aren't busy, right? Good! The allies are all hosting a camping trip and we want you guys to come with us! You know, to celebrate the peace we all have right now!"Alfred proclaimed, not letting anyone actually respond to his questions.

"You're at war right now, not at peace." Roderich said, but Alfred either didn't hear him or just ignored him.

"'Kay, I have to go now! I'll see you guys tomorrow, then! Here's the address!" Alfred stuffed a piece of paper in Ludwig's hands before running off. Ludwig blinked, looking at the address then at the others.

"Should we really go?" He asked, bewildered.

"It won't be awesome if I'm not there, and I'm feeling generous, so yeah!" Gilbert said enthusiastically.

"We should go, Ludwig! It might be fun!" Feliciano agreed. Roderich just sighed and Kiku shrugged, so in the end it was decided that they would rent a van and meet up with the allies the next day.

*Present time*

Oh yeah. That's how it had happened. Roderich just hoped that it would be a nice park; he might get ideas for a new music piece, and Ludwig had insisted that it would be good to get out of the house once in a while, though he suspected that the other just wanted someone at least a little sane to join him on the camping trip. He sighed again and leaned back in his seat, trying to tune out the chatter from the back seat. He didn't really have any expectations of the place, as long as it was clean.

What no one expected was that when they finally pulled up to the 'park', they realized it wasn't a park. It was a graveyard. A deserted, haunted-looking graveyard.

"..Are we in the right place…?" Roderich questioned after a moment of everyone looking out the window.

"This is the address he gave us…" Ludwig replied with a small frown.

"Do you think he pulled a prank?" Kiku asked quietly.

"No way! Who would dare to pull a prank on the awesome ore-sama?" Gilbert exclaimed disbelievingly. Ludwig and Roderich exchanged a glance, and then sighed.

"It might not be a trick, we should go look around. They might really mean to camp here. They never said it was a park in the first place, and this seems like just the type of stunt that they would pull off." Roderich said, trying to be sensible. Feliciano whimpered.

"But it's scary! I don't want to go out there!" He whined. Ludwig sighed.

"It's not haunted or anything. Come on, Roderich is right. We'll go take a quick look and if we can't find them, we'll head home and just call it off." He decided, opening the door and stepping out of the car. Roderich, Gilbert, and Kiku followed him. After a moment and deciding it was too scary to be left alone, Feliciano was right behind them.


	2. Decisions

**Chapter Two:**

"….Well… It's…. uh….. How do I describe it…?" Alfred asked in a drained voice. The allies had just arrived, late, at the so called 'camping spot'.

"It's where we're camping. Come on, we're late as it is and they're here already. We need to unpack and get going." Said a brisk British accent from behind the piles of camping supplies in the trunk.

"Umm, l'Angleterre, Amérique is correct when he is unsure of this… uh…. Camping spot. Are you sure we're in the correct place?" Francis asked, coming to stand next to Alfred.

"It's creepy, aru! Who arranged for us to camp here?" Yao asked, seeming taken back as he exited the car.

"I happened to arrange for us to camp here. It's deserted so no one should come to bother us." Arthur answered, then he glanced at them while pulling out the bags with the help of Matthew, "What? Scared?"

"No!" Alfred exclaimed indignantly. Francis and Yao sighed in unison.  
"You're like a child, aru. Rising to the bait like that..." They all ignored Alfred's protest as Ivan emerged from the car.

"It might be fun, though, da? I say we give it a try~" The tall nation said in his childish voice. Matthew spoke up from where he and Arthur were pulling out the last of the supplies.

"It's not like this place is haunted or anything, right? I agree with Ivan, it might be nice once in a while." Of course, with Alfred's selected hearing, all he heard from his brother was the word 'haunted'.

"Y-yeah… I-Iggy, he's right, right? That this place isn't h-haunted or anything?" Alfred said, his voice uneasy. Arthur frowned at the nickname, but then a slow grin crept up on his usually scowling face.

"I wouldn't know. It is a graveyard, after all. It might be wise to keep our eyes out for ghosts." He replied innocently, but there was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes. Alfred jumped.

"G-ghosts?"

"Yes, well, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about. Come help me with the luggage, Matthew and I can't carry it all ourselves." Like the click of a switch, Arthur was acting normally. The others moved to help them. Alfred just shuttered.

***

"L-Ludwig, this place is creepy!" Feliciano whimpered, grabbing a firm hold on said nation's arm. Ludwig attempted to shake him off, but to no avail. For someone so weak, Feliciano had a strong grip. He just sighed and kept walking.

"Ludwig-san, I do not believe they are here. Maybe they are running late?" Kiku spoke up quietly from the back of the group.

"Phff, yeah right! I bet they arranged the camping trip here then chickened out last minute. Either way we should still camp here, it's awesome!" Gilbert announced.

"You are out of your mind, Gilbert. Not that you had a large one, of course, but that isn't the point. This place could be haunted for all we know." Roderich reprimanded.

"I didn't know you believed in that stuff, Roddy! And are you scared?" Gilbert feigned a surprised gasp, "Roddy's a chicken!?"

"No, I am not scared, I am being reasonable. Even if it's not haunted this place is filthy. We could get sick from all the germs."

"No matter where we go camping, it's outdoors! 'Course it's gonna be filthy!"

"Guys, stop bickering like children!" Ludwig finally snapped. Kiku just chuckled.

"They argue more like a married couple, don't you think?" He murmured, making both Roderich and Gilbert an interesting shade of red. But before either one could protest, they heard yelling in the distance.

"Heeeeyyyyy! Are you guys out there!?" A voice called, making them all jump. Feliciano whimpered.

"D-did everyone hear that?" He whined. Roderich, Ludwig, and Kiku glanced at each other.

"That sounded like Alfred-san. Should we go towards the voice?" Kiku asked them. Ludwig nodded and started making his way back towards the direction of the car, the others following close behind.

"There you guys are!" Matthew exclaimed, trotting towards them once they came into site.

"Oh, hi, Alfred! See? I told you guys no one would dare to pull a prank on the great Gilbert!" Gilbert said, looking slightly relieved despite his confident words.

"…My name's Matthew…" Matthew said dejectedly.

"Yeah, yeah, of course! I knew that!" Gilbert shrugged. Matthew simply sighed and motioned for them to follow, before leading them back to where the others were.


	3. What Starts It All

**Chapter Three:**

"So what now?" Gilbert asked. They were currently all sitting down in a circle while Arthur worked on starting a fire. After they had all met up and found a clear spot to set up camp, it had already been sun down. Now it was almost completely dark.

"Well, I was thinking that after this fire finally decides to behave, we could do cook dinner and possibly exchange ghost stories." Arthur replied grouchily, the branches he was using didn't seem to want to light.

"G-ghost stories?" Alfred squeaked, looking pale. Arthur smirked slightly at this, but hid it as he muttered ungentlemanly words at the fire. Gilbert looked interested.

"I know a bunch of good stories from The Seven Years War~ Remember, Francis~?" Gilbert exclaimed, looking happy. Francis sighed.

"Yes, you always had a habit of making up the most gruesome tales…" He groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"Somehow this behavior does not surprise me." Roderich commented dryly. Gilbert smirked.

"It's 'cause you know me so well! But don't get all grumpy just because you lost that one, too! We should have invited Spain, then it would be perfect!"

"Get your head out of the clouds, Gilbert." Roderich snapped. Matthew sighed.

"Guys, come on, let's not fight…" Of course, no one heard him. Finally, after much more grumbling and arguments, the fire was lit and everyone was sitting and eating their dinner. Alfred had been jumping at every hoot of an owl or crackle of leaves. The color had just begun to return to his face when Arthur finally spoke up after their meal.

"So, who would like to go first?" He asked. Ivan raised his hand.

"Oh, oh, I should tell a story, da~? It'd be fun!" He said cheerily. Yao looked a bit worried.

"Umm, Ivan, aru... Maybe someone else should go first…? Save the b-best for last, right, aru?" He stammered. They all had stiffened at the mention of Ivan's stories; they were likely to be even more gruesome than Gilbert's. Ivan tilted his head.

"Mm… if you say so, Yao." He pouted slightly, but looked around, "So who wants to go first?" Gilbert volunteered, and so the night of ghost stories began.

Some time later, they were all looking a bit shook up, especially after Ivan and Gilbert's particularly creepy story. All except for Ivan, of course. He looked like he was enjoying himself.

"So, who wants to go next~? Or should I tell another..?" He asked with childlike innocence that only creeped them out more. Alfred had been shivering and whining the entire time and now took it upon himself to stop.

"M-maybe we should go to sleep…?" He tried. Arthur, on the other hand, seemed to be out to get him tonight.

"No, I have one last story. It's a good one." He said calmly.

"B-but Iggy!" Alfred protested, shaking. He decided that he didn't like the slight smirk that was appearing on Arthur's face.

"Oh, my apologies. You should have let me know if you were scared, we could have retired earlier." The others simply watched the exchange silently, even though they all knew that Alfred would take the bait.

"What!? I'm not scared of some stupid stories!" He exclaimed, standing up, "I'm the hero! Hero's aren't afraid of anything!"

"Even ghosts?" Arthur asked patiently, pointedly ignoring Francis's comment of 'Oh dear, Amérique is in for it now. I haven't seen that smirk in ages.'

"Even g-ghosts!" Alfred confirmed, sitting back down. Matthew sighed.

"So… the story?" He was later going to regret asking this, but none of them knew that now.

"Right. It's an old tale, actually. It took place during the 100 Years War, right around when the ships first found you, Alfred.

Once upon a time, there was a little, orphan girl. When she had just been born, her parents both died in a crash between horse wagons while driving home from the hospital. When the police arrived, they noticed her most peculiar eyes. One was such a light blue that it was almost white; the other was such a dark brown it appeared almost black. Her hair was jet black, and her skin was pale, almost as pale as the snow.

Most people who met her were quite unnerved, especially because of her unmoving, blank, and calm gaze. Any normal child would be screaming and crying, but not her. She merely stared up with clear eyes at whoever came near. She was oddly unharmed from the crash, not even a bruise showing on her snow-white skin.

One of the policemen's wives took pity on the poor child that most were too terrified to even approach, and she took the girl into her care. The policeman tried to object, at first, but soon gave in. They lived happily in a little village, and the two were very content and happy as they watched the little girl grow. Her eyes never changed in color, neither did her ghostly skin. But aside from those points, the girl grew up to be small, but still quite pretty. There was a certain charm about her, and anyone who came close became enchanted. Many a night would come to their door and request for her presence. The girl was then named 'Lacry', out of request on her part."

"…No offence, Iggy, but this isn't really that scary." Alfred interrupted suddenly, looking bored and calmed down. He felt silly, being so scared. It was Iggy telling the story, after all. There was no way and old man would tell a scary story. But looking around, he saw Matthew was slightly pale and Francis looked a bit sick, "…Guys? Seriously? It's not scary."

"I-I think you told us this story, once, A-Arthur… When we were little…" Matthew said. Arthur tilted his head, smirking.

"Nice to see someone actually listened back then." He said happily. Ludwig looked confused.

"I hate to admit it, but I agree with Alfred. The story might have just been creepy to a child, but it isn't that much of a ghost story." He said, "Do you want to try another one?"

"B-but Ludwig! This one is scary enough!" Feliciano whimpered, clutching Ludwig's coat like it was his lifeline.

"Angleterre… are you sure you want to continue the story…? Some of us… might not have the stomach for it… I remember it from your pirate days… you used to adore sharing it…" Francis clutched his sides for support from his memory. Arthur's smirk grew.

"Hmm, I guess I could stop if just the mere memory scares you that much, frog." Arthur shrugged, then counted down from three. One, two, three…

"Wait!" Just on time, "I want to see what Francis is so worked up about!" Gilbert exclaimed, leaning forward and looking interested now. Arthur raised a brow at the others, wanting to see what they thought.

"I agree with Gilbert-san. I wish to see how the story ends." Kiku spoke up, after being silent for a while. Ivan nodded excitedly, clapping his hands like a child.

"Da~ Da~, I want to see what happens next!" Next to him, Yao just shrugged.

"What's the harm in it, aru?"

"That's four against… four. Roderich, Alfred, you two need to choose. Should I go on or stop?" Arthur said, looking at the two expectantly. Gilbert just waved his hand.

"We already know that prissy boy is probably already scared out of his wits, so just count him as a no." Roderich looked a little irritated.

"Actually no, Gilbert. I was about to say that hearing more would be quite interesting before you rudely interrupted. Besides, if you want to hear more so badly, why are you putting my vote against yours? That only tips the balance the other way." Gilbert considered this, but then Roderich got an idea and an uncharacteristic tiny smirk graced his lips, "Unless you're actually scared and are just trying to hide it."

"What!? No way! I wouldn't be scared by some pansy ghost story!" Gilbert protested loudly. Before he could continue, Francis cut in, looking a bit worried.

"Alright… Amérique is on our side, right? Well then it's even, we should just all go to bed…" Arthur frowned at this.

"Alfred? You don't want to hear the rest of the story? I thought you said it wasn't scary. Ah, well, you didn't have the stomach for ghost stories when you were younger, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're too afraid now, too." He looked slightly disappointed, and everyone missed the slight tug at the corner of his mouth.

"Wait, I never said I didn't want to hear the rest of the story! I wanna see what had Mattie and Francis desperate to get out of here! I don't remember this as a kid…" Alfred said hurriedly, attempting to change the subject.

"Oh, yes, I remember it. You wouldn't sleep by yourself for two days." Arthur said, smiling slightly fondly now, the smallest trace of teasing in his voice. Alfred turned beet red.

"Hey! I was a little kid! That doesn't happen anymore! I can take your stupid ghost stories any day!" Alfred scrambled for words, blushing brightly under the amused gazes of the other nations, "Any way, just get on with it!"

"Very well." Arthur said, still smirking. He was victorious once again. And so, he continued the story.


	4. Bravery or Stupidity?

**Chapter Four:**

"Lacry grew up fast. By the time she was ten she already had many visits a day, all confessing some sort of feeling or another. But she never accepted their gifts, never brought them into her house. She sent them all away, every day.

But soon, as she grew into her older teenage years, one caught her attention. He came every day, never leaving for good like all the others. So, one day, her curiosity grew enough to where she accepted his present with a curtsy and a smile. The others who were nearby saw this, and didn't like it one bit.

The next day, Lacry waited eagerly for his arrival. But he didn't come. Nor did he come the next day. Lacry began to tire of waiting, and was becoming quite impatient, when suddenly, a week later, he showed up again. He was covered in bandages, and when she saw him limping up to her door, she ran out.

'Who did this to you!?' She demanded. He smiled weakly and held out her present.

'People get jealous, my dear, that you have accepted my present. I hope this does not mean you will stop accepting them, though. I was very elated when you accepted it that day.' He explained softly. She looked furious.

'People. I tire of those others. I do not wish for them to visit me every day and every night any more. I do not wish for their gifts and offers of love, I do not wish for them. You, I want you to be the only one who visits. The only one who brings me presents. I will accept your gifts and your confession of love if you do me one thing. If you get rid of the others. I tire of them." She said, her odd eyes boring into his. He faltered. He was a kind man at heart, a very gentle soul. He did not even fight back with the other jealous bachelors beat him!

'My love, I do not think I could go out and kill other innocent men who wish you only the best life you can have.' He said gently. This infuriated her.

'They hurt you! Do you not love me? Is your so called 'compassion' greater than your love for me!?' She screeched. He just stared at her hopelessly, so she sent him away.

The next night, he came again. She opened the door silently, waiting for him to explain his presence.

'I did it. As you have noticed, there were no other visitors today. I killed them all.' He said sadly. She gave him the slightest of smiles.

'Killed them dead?' She asked with that of a child's innocence.

'Killed them dead.' He reassured.

Years past, and soon Lacry turned 16. She suddenly told her parents that she had the wish to marry the man who had been bringing her presents every day. Her adopted parents did not like the idea, and the three got in an enormous fight. The next day, he came again. But when she opened the door, she was not smiling.

'My parents. I tire of my parents. I wish to marry you, but they do not agree. I will marry you if you do me one thing. If you dispose of my parents. I tire of them." She stated this with a calm certainty, and the only thing the poor man could do was smile at her and nod.

The next day her parents went out to town. They did not return. The man did. When he walked up to her door, she opened it and looked at him silently.

'I did it. As you have noticed, your parents have not come home today. I killed them both.' He said, eyes shadowed with pain. She smiled at him again.

'Killed them dead?'

'Killed them dead.'

After that, the two married. A year later, Lacry tired of her house. So, they moved to a beautiful meadow in London and had a mansion built. They lived happily for a few years, but suddenly something went wrong.

One day, while walking through her gardens, Lacry came upon a thought. 'I tire of my husband. He does nothing but please me all day and all night. It is boring. I want excitement. I tire of him.' But, when he was the one who killed for her, who bid to her every whim, how would she rid of her new nuisance? The only way, of course. Kill him herself. And she did. That night, while he was bathing, she snuck in and stabbed him in the heart. It was over quickly. Then, she had a small portion of her land pulled up and buried him there.

This story repeated itself. She would venture out to town, find someone who interested her, and take them as her husband. But soon she always would find something about them that bothered her. One was too tall, one didn't smell nice, one was too lazy, one had too dull of eyes, and one was too fat. She killed each the same way, never bothering to wash the blood stains from the tub. And with each one she buried, more of her beautiful land was torn up.

Soon enough, a bunch of women who had their husbands stolen from them by Lacry became annoyed. The girl was a nuisance herself, only coming to town to steal a nice man only to have them reported dead all of a month later. They all knew who the killer was, but the men refused to hear it. So, one night, they all ganged up and headed towards the meadow. Or, what was a meadow. It was now completely torn up and could be called a graveyard, that was how many men Lacry had killed. There was only one spot of grass left, on top of a hill.

When they arrived, Lacry was bathing herself. She had just killed her most recent husband that very night, and she was cleaning off the blood stains. The women snuck in the room without her noticing, and before she could react, a knife was in her heart- killing her instantly. They buried her on the hill with the grass, then left. The graveyard became deserted.

Two years later, whenever travelers were staying in town, they always heard stories of what happened in the graveyard. Any traveler who was a male instantly gained the desire to go there, and most of them did. When someone approaches the mansion, the lights would flicker on. You could hear faint ballroom music and voices and laughter. Then, you would hear a voice. The voice of a young girl.

'Oh, how I am so lonely. I wish someone would come in and dance with me. Will you? I tire of the rest of the company.'

No traveler has ever been able to resist that voice. They all entered. And none came out. It is said that if you make it upstairs and into the master bathroom, the tub will be running blood stained water..." Arthur trailed off, grinning slightly at the pale faces of the rest.

"…You… tuned the story down… quite a bit…" Francis finally spoke up, looking half relieved and half scared.

"T-Tuned it down!? It was worse than that!?" Alfred stared, wide eyed and pale, at Arthur. Arthur just shrugged.

"You all were acting all scared, so I left out some events and a lot of detail. If it doesn't satisfy you, I could tell the original version…" He trailed off, fighting to hide his smirk.

"W…Where was this mansion, exactly?" Roderich asked. His voice was calm and he looked fairly collected, but even he was slightly pale.

"Would you like to see?" Arthur asked patiently.

"Whoa, wait! It's here!? Seriously?" Gilbert asked, looking excited. Alfred looked terrified, and Feliciano was whining to Ludwig.

"Mm. I was thinking that we could go check it out. I haven't been there since the story took place."

"I-Iggy, that's not funny! W-Why did you bring us to a place that was h-haunted!?" Alfred whimpered. Arthur tilted his head.

"I didn't know you even believed in the supernatural, let alone be afraid of it."

"I-I'm not!"

"Guys… are we really going to go there..?" Matthew spoke up. He was shivering slightly, though from the cold or from the story remained to be seen. Gilbert perked up again.

"Yes! We should camp inside it! That would be so much cooler than out here!" He exclaimed. Roderich looked thoughtful.

"It would probably be a bit warmer in there…" He mused quietly.

"…It's kind of foolish, but whatever… I'll go if you're going." Matthew sighed. Ivan clapped his hands again.

"That was a good story, da~? I say we go!" He exclaimed happily, turning to Yao, "Yao agrees with me, da?"

"I don't really care either way, aru. I just say you're all being silly, aru. It's just a story, aru." He shrugged.

"L-Ludwig, it's scary! I don't want to go!" Feliciano complained. Next to him, Ludwig looked faintly annoyed. Not that you could really tell, looking at his stern features.

"I will accompany you as well." Kiku told Arthur, then glanced at Feliciano and Ludwig, "You two should come, too. It's better than being left alone, right?" Ludwig opened his mouth to speak, but Feliciano interrupted.

"No! I don't want to be alone! Don't leave me!" He whined. Soon enough, everyone was talked into going, so they packed up camp and set off. Arthur was leading the way, seeing this was somewhere in London, after all.

When they approached the mansion, the chatter stopped. They all paused in front of the porch, examining it. The mansion was old, the walls were rotting and the ceiling had holes. Some windows were broken, and the whole house looked like it would fall over any minute.

"A-Are you sure it would be safe to camp inside..?" Alfred tried. The entire time he had been attempting to find good enough excuses to turn them all back, but failed.

"Of course. This building has been up for hundreds of years, it'll last hundreds more." Arthur said confidently. They all fell silent again, staring up at the building and just waiting for something to happen. After a while of silence, Gilbert spoke up.

"Hah. See? There's no music or lights or voices. Nice try, Art-" He broke off when they all gasped. Falling silent again, there was the faintest trace of music. Music that would be played at a ball.

"…T-That's a n-nice touch, Iggy…" Alfred tried to sound cheery, but his voice and entire body were shaking. Then, all of the sudden, a single light in the upper room flickered on. They all screamed.


	5. Meeting the Host

**Chapter Five:**

"O-Okay, who did you send up there? How much did you pay them?" Gilbert demanded after they all calmed down. Of course, they had all taken off and were currently hiding behind some large stones.

"N-Nobody! I swear! I-I thought her ghost had passed on by now! I didn't know she was still there!" Arthur protested defensively, looking just as terrified as everyone else.

"Still there? Still there!? You've come here before!?" Roderich sounded irritated, but he was shaking as well.

"Well yeah! I don't tell made up ghost stories, you do know! I was lucky to get away that one time!" Alfred looked absolutely horrified at Arthur's words.

"Why didn't you check if she was gone first!?" Gilbert wanted to know.

"Because what ghost in the right mind would haunt the same place for decades!?"

"That's the thing! That ghost obviously isn't in the right mind! She's a loon! You all heard the story!"

"Guys…" Matthew tried, but Gilbert and Arthur continued to argue heatedly. The others remained silent, watching the exchange.

"Guys…!" He tried again. Francis made hushing motions, muttering 'Don't get yourself caught in the cross fire, Mathieu.' Matthew ignored him.

"Guys!" He shouted. This got everyone's attention, and they all turned and stared at him silently. He flushed, but he wasn't going to let their attention go away now that he had it for once, "W-we should get out of here, while we can… The m-music is still going, so she still knows we're here. S-she hasn't tried talking yet, so we should get out while we can!"

"It might be possible…" Arthur considered his words, much to Matthew's delight. Not only did they notice him, they were actually considering what he said! Unfortunately, Gilbert had other plans.

"What? No way! I'm not leaving now that I know it's actually real! Come on, it'll be fun! Our only chance to camp out in a real haunted house! Plus, we're nations and we are all together! There's no way she'd be able to hurt us!" Arthur looked irritated.

"Have you not been listening? She has the power to manipulate people to her will; make them do anything for her. Anything. As I said, last time I was lucky to get out of there alive. I was a pirate those days, so it was easier. We don't have that advantage this time!" He explained, sounding frustrated. Yao stared at him.

"What does being a pirate have to do with anything, aru?" He asked, then noted how Arthur turned slightly pink at his words.

"Umm… how do I put this…? I've said before that she was basically looking for the perfect husband, right…? …. She likes people who give her a challenge. People who are hard to tame. She killed the first husband because he was too easy. Pirates are known to be… uh… hard to groom… as you know…" Arthur attempted to explain, looking uncomfortable. Alfred cocked his head.

"So you're saying she wanted to marry you because you were a pirate?" He asked. Arthur stiffened, reddening more.

"So blunt!" He hissed quietly, then looked away, fidgeting, "You all know I'm not a pirate anymore. She didn't kill me then because she wouldn't have gotten what she wanted. She knew I would come back, but she didn't foresee that it would be now. That I wouldn't be a pirate anymore. Seeing me again might set her into a rage." Gilbert grinned cockily.

"We have nothing to worry about, then. We camp there and then if something happens Arthur could go all pirate and we'll be out of there in no time!" He said as if it made perfect sense, "And if that doesn't work, I'm sure I could charm her! No one could resist me!"

"Yeah. In your dreams, Gilbert." Roderich muttered. Gilbert glared at him. Ludwig sighed.

"I don't think it's a good idea to go camping where a bipolar ghost who happens to be looking for a wedding option and will kill to get her way happens to live." He stated calmly. Gilbert looked at Francis for help. Francis looked thoughtful.

"It actually might be fun. Give us a thrill, you know? I haven't had a thrill in a while. Remember, Gilbert? We would never be satisfied without trouble. I miss that." He said with a small smile, that grew slightly creepy as a new thought entered his mind, "And if any of you get scared, oni-san is always here to hold your hand~"

"Don't be disgusting, frog." Arthur spat, then turned back to Gilbert, "And that idea of yours is beyond dumb. I told you already, she'd probably go in a rage seeing that I've changed."

"Nooo, she wouldn't know you changed! I could let you borrow some of my clothes! We could pull it off!" He grinned. Arthur scowled.

"What, so you want me to go in there and then be forced to marry a ghost? Not really how I want to spend the rest of my life, you do know." He growled. Alfred, after a while of being quiet, spoke up.

"Come on, Iggy! We won't let her steal you! We just sneak in there, spend the night, then leave in the morning. Only if she finds us will you need to pretend to be a pirate. I honestly don't see what even a ghost would see in a stodgy old man with giant eyebrows, but if it works, it works, right?" Arthur looked at his former colony skeptically.

"I thought you were afraid of ghosts, even the benign ones?" He raised an eyebrow. Alfred shook his head violently.

"N-no way, old man! Your memory must be fading or something! I'm a hero! Hero's aren't afraid of anything! Even g-ghosts!" The way his voice squeaked when he said the word 'ghost' contradicted his words, however. Matthew sighed.

"I don't know why I even bother…" He groaned. No one heard him, and right now, he didn't really care.

Some time later, Gilbert had somehow won and they were all standing in front of the house again. Arthur had been forced into a messy white top with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, tan rugged pants, and black boots. Gilbert also, for some reason, found a red bandanna to serve at a hat sense they didn't have a captain's hat. Arthur actually looked the part of a ship wrecked pirate, and Gilbert had been quite approving of his work. Alfred had been surprised at how much he didn't look like a stodgy old man when he was out of his sweater vests and ties. Francis had commented that he looked 'magnifique' and that he should go out like that more often. Arthur had just responded to these comments with a glare.

"I'm not going to bother to ask why you had a pirate get up in your bag, Gilbert." Roderich had said, his response being a tongue stuck out at him.

Currently, Feliciano was whining about being hungry and wanting pasta and something about being terrified of ghosts, but mostly wanting pasta. Ludwig just sighed and tried to shut him up. The others were huddling about, staring at the house. By now, candles were burning in the windows and lighting up the whole house. The music was louder, and more elegant. If they weren't about to enter a haunted house with a ghost who wanted to marry him, Arthur would have stopped to reminisce about the wonderful balls that his old queens used to host.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Gilbert announced suddenly, startling them all. Arthur scowled, "Alright! Feli, you go first! And then if you don't die we'll all follow you!"

"No, bruder." Ludwig glared at Gilbert sternly, "It was your idea. You are the one dragging us into this. You go first."

"But Wessssttttt!" Gilbert whined, "I'm too awesome to go first! Oh! How about-"

"No." Arthur ground out.

"Arthur! You're the only one who could calm her down and charm her!" Gilbert said as if he didn't interrupt.

"No."

"Whhhyyy?"

"Because. There is no way on earth that you'd expect me to willingly enter a house with-" Arthur was interrupted, this time by Alfred.

"Yes, yes, a ghost who wants to marry you, blah blah blah. Iggy! You can't call us scared if you aren't even willing to go in first!" Arthur glared at him.

"Fine. You come with me, then."

"What!? No way!" Alfred squawked, eyes wide. His ally's glare didn't falter.

"Then I'm not going. I already don't see the point in going in separately, let alone going in at all. What happened to 'You can't call me scared if you're scared, too'? You said that just now."

"Y-Yeah, but… Don't use my words against me!" Alfred said, waving his hands around in the air.

"I thought you were the hero. Didn't know you wanted someone to take your job so badly." Arthur shrugged, his glare still deadly.

"Come on, Amérique… Just go with him so we can get inside already…" Francis complained. Alfred whimpered.

"B-but….."

"No 'buts'. Come on, the frog is right for once. We'll never get anywhere out here. Let's just get this over with." Arthur said sharply, grabbing onto Alfred's arm and jerking him towards the door. Alfred flailed, whined, and protested, but everyone simply ignored him. He looked back once more, helplessly, and caught the gaze of his brother. Matthew just smiled sympathetically and shrugged.

"What has the world come to when a guy can't even trust his own brother!?" Alfred wailed dramatically. Arthur just glared at him again.

"Come on, mister 'Hero'. I thought you were the one supposed to be doing the saving." He grumbled. Alfred gave in after several more sharp, painful tugs, and switched to following Arthur like a lost puppy.

They entered the house with one last glance back at the others, who were all crowded together and watching them with wide eyes. Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes, then pushed the door open and stepped inside. After a moment hesitation, Alfred followed. Inside was in much better condition than outside, the floors and walls polished and gleaming, fancy furniture and decorations everywhere. The main room had a large fireplace that was lit. Candles were hanging on the walls and reflecting on the polished floors. The music was louder inside, but still graceful and elegant. Alfred was entranced, but Arthur knew better.

"Stay on your guard. This is just an illusion. Follow me closely and don't leave my sight. Tell me if you hear anything strange." Arthur ordered in a hushed tone. Alfred looked at him, slightly amused. He was feeling confident; this didn't look like a haunted house at all!

"Chill, Iggy! Besides, I'm the one who has to be watching you! I'm the hero, after all! I'll keep close, so don't be worried!" He teased, adopting his normal, cocky grin. Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Yes, yes, if you say so. Follow me. We'll scope out the entire downstairs and then tell them if it's safe." At that, Arthur stepped further into the room, Alfred following close behind. The place remained empty, but the song switched to another, slower song. The candles dimmed as well as the fireplace. Arthur looked around wearily. He was about to call out to the ghost, when a voice spoke out of nowhere.

"Oh, how I am so lonely. I wish someone would come in and dance with me. Will you? I tire of the rest of the company."


	6. Tea and Tears

**Chapter Six**

The two English speaking nations whirled around. Standing at the top of a grand stairwell stood an 18 year old girl. She was only a bit shorter than Arthur, and she was dressed in a long, elegant black ball gown. Her hair was jet back and only one of her eyes could be seen in the shadows. That eye seemed to be completely white. Her one eyed gaze was intense, and it was unnerving them both.

"Pleasure to finally meet you again, Mistress Lacry." Arthur said and bowed with all the grace of a gentleman. The girl giggled.

"Oh? What happened to the pirate I knew? Who is this gentleman in his place?" She asked, and Alfred could have sworn she had a teasing tone to her, "Well, Captain Kirkland. It's been quite a long time. We have much to catch up on! You must introduce me to your companion, as well!"

"Hey, Iggy," Alfred whispered through his teeth to Arthur, "I thought you said that she was insane! She's acting like a sweet little girl, were you lying? And isn't she supposed to be a ghost?"

"No, you twat. I told you that she could charm almost anyone, didn't I? She adapts her personality so she could attempt to court her interest. Don't be fooled by anything she says, alright? And whatever you do, don't make her angry!" Arthur hissed back, "And she's a special kind of ghost. She can turn solid for a period of time. It takes up a bit of her energy, but that's how she kills or courts. We aren't supposed to know she's a ghost. Most travelers don't."

"Huh? What are you two whispering about?" Lacry tilted her head, then giggled, "Arthur~" At that, she raced down the stairs and latched onto his arm, making both of them jump, "Let me treat you to tea and then we can sit and talk~!" She began tugging Arthur towards a chair by the fire. He followed and sat silently, shooting a glance at Alfred. Alfred, for once, got the message and sat down next to him quickly. Lacry then skipped off to go make tea. Once she was out of the room, Alfred spun to face Arthur.

"We should get out of here now! Warn the others then run!" Alfred said in a hushed tone. Arthur looked at him reluctantly.

"Alfred, it's a good chance some of them already came in after us." He said calmly, but his eyes were full of dread.

"Huh? What are you talking about? The doors right there!" Alfred stared at him, wondering if he lost his mind.

"No. Look, it's hard to explain. But this place basically has layers. The only way to get on the same one is if we all had entered at the same time. But now if someone else enters the house, they aren't going to see what we see or even find us. The house changes on Lacry's opinion on the person. She has taken a liking to me, so she let us see what the place looked like before she killed her first husband. With each layer there's also a different Lacry. You are lucky to have come in with me, because you see her courting side. This, by the way, is much better than all the others." Arthur explained. Realization began to dawn on Alfred's face.

"So your saying if, just for example, Kiku and Yao came in, the house might look, I don't know, normal, and they would be faced with… her… depressed side?" He tried. Arthur nodded.

"Exactly. I wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert had to deal with her murderous or blood thirsty side." Arthur mused, attempting to lighten the mood, but failing, "The only way to meet up again is to either change her mood or escape the house and hope the others escape as well. I'm going to use your example. Let's just say, you accidentally say something that makes her depressed. The house would change and if Kiku or Yao were in this room, they would see us and we would see them. We would enter her layer. Another example is if someone somehow manages to charm her, they would appear in our layer. This is why I'm telling you to stay close to me; I don't want you to be taken to a different layer if something happens. And we can't leave the house while she's in solid form. I'm not sure why, but there will always be something that prevents us from leaving. So we have to do what I did last time and try to keep her in a very good mood, and then once she used too much energy and returns to ghost form, we escape. Let's just hope the others somehow get on her good side so we could wait in somewhat safety until she gets tired." Alfred nodded and fell silent.

***

"…What's taking them so long?" Gilbert asked after awhile.

"…The music is still going… but I don't hear them… Maybe they got lost..?" Matthew suggested nervously. Francis looked thoughtful.

"We should send someone else in after them, oui? To make sure it's okay or come back to tell the others what happened. Who volunteers?" He asked. Kiku tilted his head.

"If no one else wishes to go, I could. It shouldn't be too bad." He offered. Feliciano looked horrified.

"No! Kiku! Don't go! You'll get eaten!" He whimpered. Ludwig attempted to shut him up, but he looked a bit worried, himself.

"Kiku, you don't have to. We could send someone else." He tried to dissuade him. Kiku sent them a small smile. But Yao cut in before he could speak.

"I'm not going to let my baby brother go in a haunted house all by himself, aru! I'll go with you, aru. And no protesting, aru!" Yao said the last part when Kiku opened his mouth, the smallest bit of alarm and defiance flashing in his usually passive eyes.

"…If you insist, Ni-san…" He gave in quietly. Feliciano was still protesting and whimpering.

"If only to shut Feliciano up, I suggest sending Ivan with you two. Just for safety reasons only." Roderich muttered, slightly irritated. Feliciano did in fact calm down at this suggestion, but only because even a ghost couldn't scare the giant Russian. Speaking of him, Ivan looked delighted at the thought.

"That sounds like a good idea, da~! I can't wait to get inside! It looks fun, and the music is pretty! I wonder if she has sunflowers~!" He looked ready to bounce up and down with excitement.

"That plan is acceptable. See you three on the other side then!" Francis said with a wave and a smile. Kiku just sighed and led the way inside the mansion.

***

Lacry had come skipping back into the room with a tray of tea and cookies. She set it on the table then sat down across from the two. She watched silently as Arthur reached for a cup and sipped it, looking slightly surprised at the taste.

"This is very good, Lacry. You made it just how I like it. You will make a fine house wife one day." He complimented. Alfred snorted, attempting to hide his laughter, and earned a sharp prod in the ribs from Arthur's elbow along with a deadly glance. Lacry either ignored the exchange or didn't notice it; she was too busy beaming from his complement.

"Thank you so much, Arthur~! Now that we are all settled, I would like to meet your friend." She exclaimed, smiling. Alfred fidgeted, about to say something, but Arthur spoke before he could.

"This is Alfred Jones; I met him shortly after my last visit." He said shortly. Alfred smiled with his 100 watt grin.

"Nice to meet 'cha!" He exclaimed happily, "Your name is Lacry, right?" Lacry gave a tight smile, hiding a grimace. But there was a strange light glowing in her eyes as she looked at him.

"Yes, Mister Jones. That would be correct. I do wonder how someone so… confident… managed to befriend Captain Kirkland. You do not seem to be the type of person he would hang about." She spoke in a clipped manner, making Alfred wince.

"Umm… well…" He tried to think of something to say, but his mind drew a blank. He shot a glance at Arthur, silently asking for help. Arthur sipped his tea again then put the cup down.

"Like I said, Alfred and I met some time ago. He helped me learn my way around that new land I spoke of last time I was here." He said calmly. It wasn't what happened, of course, but no one said that Arthur wasn't good at pretending. He just hoped that Alfred had the sense to play along and not mess anything up.

"Really?" Lacry's gaze didn't falter; she continued to stare at Alfred. He began to wonder if he did something wrong, he could practically sense the dislike coming off of her.

"U-umm… yeah… that's what happened!" Alfred tried to grin, but he was feeling nervous. He vaguely remembered that sitting across from him was a ghost. Lacry's eyes narrowed, then she turned to Arthur and smiled again instantly.

"I'll be right back, Arthur~! It seems I have more guests!" At that, she disappeared from sight, making Alfred yelp. Arthur glared at him.

"What do you think you were doing, you prat? You were supposed to act like a gentleman!" He hissed. Alfred overcame his shock and frowned back at him.

"You never told me that! And besides, you aren't the one who has to stick around and watch someone flirt with a ghost! I thought you didn't want to marry her, why are you going around and saying she'd make a good wife!?"

"I have to stay on her good side! If at least one of us is on her good side and we stay close together she can't send the other off to another mood of hers. Yes, I don't want to marry her. That's why I don't want to go and get killed by upsetting her! We have to wait until she gets tired and isn't in solid form anymore!" Arthur scolded.

"She disappeared, right? So she's gone? Can we leave now?" Alfred asked, still looking annoyed. Arthur shook his head.

"She's somewhere else in the house. Probably listening to us, which isn't good! I told you, she doesn't need to greet guests separately. There is a different her for each layer." He explained, looking tired all of the sudden. Alfred just sighed and slumped down in his chair.

***

"This place is creepy, aru!" Yao exclaimed after the three had been silent, taking in the surroundings. The house was in fairly good condition, and everything was clean. But no lights were on, no music was playing, and everything was dark and depressing. The only sound was creaking from somewhere in the house.

"It's strange, how the inside is in much better condition than outside…" Kiku mused, looking around. Ivan blinked.

"What happened to the lights and pretty music?" He asked, pouting. Kiku ignored him, walking further into the house a bit cautiously.

"Arthur-kun…? Alfred-kun…?" He called quietly. Yao walked up next to him.

"I don't think they are still in here, aru. Maybe they-" He broke off, looking around fearfully. Soft crying could be heard from somewhere in the house, "A-Alfred? A-Arthur? This isn't funny, aru!"

"…Hello…?" Kiku called again, walking towards the stairs. Yao followed him, looking slightly weary. Ivan headed towards the kitchen. He didn't look scared or worried, merely curious. Then, a voice spoke. It was shaky and spoke between sobs.

"O-oh… how I am… so lonely... I-I wish someone would come in and… and dance with… m-me. W-will you…? I-I tire of the rest… o-of the company..." It cried. It was the voice of a young girl; a heartbroken, lonely girl.

"H-Hello? Whoever you are, would you come out to where we could see you?" Kiku called softly. He was answered by more sobs. The girl seemed to be trying to say something, but only a few words like 'lonely', 'why did he leave', 'who am I?', and 'why won't anyone love me?' could be made out. Yao frowned.

"Where are you, aru? If you come out we could comfort you, aru." He spoke. Both he and Kiku continued to call out, but the girl never appeared. The sobs that seemed to bounce off of all the walls continued, however.

"Maybe she's upstairs…?" Kiku suggested to Yao quietly. Yao nodded, then looked around.

"Wait, where is Ivan, aru!?" He asked, alarmed. As if on cue, a loud crash came from in the kitchen.


	7. Unexpected

**Chapter Seven:**

"…They aren't coming out, either…" Matthew said after a while. He, Francis, Gilbert, Roderich, Feliciano, and Ludwig were all huddled outside the mansion to block out the cold. Gilbert kept fidgeting, probably getting impatient.

"This is so boring!" He hissed, proving Matthew's suspicion correct, "Come on, Roddy, West, let's go see what's keeping them!" Ludwig blinked.

"What? Don't rope me into your strange schemes! Why do I have to come with you?" Roderich asked. He was getting more irritated than normal; huddled against the cold as they all were. Gilbert shot him a confident look.

"You'd prefer to stay out here with Francis…?" He asked, smirking. Roderich froze, then groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Why did I get myself into this mess..?" He moaned. Gilbert just laughed, while Francis looked offended.

"Hey! What is so wrong with being with me!? All I ever do is try to spread l'amour and this is the thanks I get?" He asked, putting a hand where his heart was, "Mathieu, these people are being rude!" Matthew just blinked.

"…What am I supposed to do about it…?" He asked bewilderingly. Gilbert snickered at Francis's taken aback face. Ludwig sighed, and not bothering to start another argument, stood up. Feliciano protested immediately.

"Ludwig, you can't leave me, too! Take me with you!" He whimpered. Ludwig shot a glance at Gilbert, who just shrugged. He sighed.

"Fine, you can come with us." Ludwig turned to Francis and Matthew, "Will you two be alright out here alone?"

"Oui, oui. We'll come in after you if you don't come out in five minutes." Francis nodded. Gilbert smirked again then started pulling on Roderich's sleeve.

"Come on, Roddy! Let's go already!" He whined. Roderich just glared at him before standing up and following after the other three.

***

Arthur and Alfred both spun around to face the door at the sound of it opening. Both were at a loss for words when they saw Gilbert, Roderich, Ludwig, and Feliciano all standing there. The four were gaping at them and the house, and then Gilbert caught sight of the tea on the table.

"Oh, so you guys come into this place that you both didn't want to go in and sit down and have tea and just leave us shivering outside in the cold!?" He asked bitterly, "Did you find your ghost friend, too? Were you guys having a tea party?" Arthur finally found his voice.

"H-How did you guys get in!? This part… This part is only for people she likes!" He exclaimed, still looking shocked. Roderich stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, "We just entered through the door. Though this place is quite nice, I wonder how it's done. Did you guys see Kiku, Yao, or Ivan?"

"You guys sent them in here, too?" Arthur asked, looked horrified. But before anyone could respond, he recovered and shook his head, "Never mind. Lacry disappeared somewhere. Obviously she took a liking to one of you, so you four are lucky. Just whatever you do, don't say anything bad to her or about her or the house or anything. Remain quiet if you cannot act like a gentleman, we can't risk you guys going to another mood. Obviously Kiku, Yao, and Ivan didn't have the luck that we have."

"Would you guys mind telling us what's going on?" Ludwig asked, confused by everything Arthur said. Arthur nodded and gestured for everyone to sit, before sitting himself. Alfred sat down as well, staying oddly quiet. But if you looked closely, you would notice that he was pale and shaking. The realization that he was in a ghost's house had come back to him, and his fear of ghosts were making him behave. Arthur launched into explanation, and answered everyone's questions with ease. At the end of his explanation, everyone fell silent.

"…So… where is she…?" Roderich asked after awhile. Arthur shrugged.

"I don't know. She disappeared a while ago." Gilbert thought about this.

"We should explore! I want to check out that bath you mentioned!" He exclaimed. Arthur and Roderich stared at him as if he had five heads.

"Are you insane? Did you not hear me? If even one of us upsets her we'll be sent into one of her other moods which aren't safe! At all!" Arthur scolded. Gilbert grinned.

"Oh come on! We came all the way here and we are already in, why not have at least a little fun? And if something happens we can always try to charm her again. There's not only you that interests her now!" He said confidently. Arthur shook his head.

"We don't know who that other person is out of you four!" He said.

"Annndddd if we get sent to another mood we have a chance to find the others. Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Gilbert prodded.

"You honestly don't want to know…" Arthur grumbled. Gilbert turned to Alfred, startling him.

"Alfred, help me convince him! There's nothing some dumb ghost can do to six nations, right!?" He asked, looking for back up. Alfred fidgeted, and then Gilbert understood. He smirked, "Oh, wait, you're scared, too? Never mind then. We won't go if you guys are all scared." Alfred snapped out of his trance at this.

"Why does everyone always assume I'm scared!? I'm not scared! I'm the hero! I say we go! It'd be fun!" He announced. Arthur rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Whatever. If you guys decide to be idiots, I'll come. Not for you, of course, but everyone would blame me if you guys died." He mumbled. Alfred and Gilbert grinned at each other, then turned to the other three.

"Are you guys in?" Gilbert asked. Roderich glanced at Ludwig, who pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No stopping it, I guess." Ludwig muttered. Feliciano looked scared, but attempted to sound confident as well.

"I'll go if you guys are going!" He chimed, but his voice was shaking because he was still terrified. Roderich sighed again, then shrugged his shoulders.

"I was already dragged into this, may as well accompany you a bit longer. No use being the only one left in this mood."

And so, the six started wandering the house. They explored the kitchen, parlor, the ballroom, and other various rooms on the first floor. All of them had lapsed into a strange silence, communicating through gestures and looks only. Soon, their expeditions came to an end and they all gathered at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Well? What are we waiting for! Let's go upstairs!" Gilbert asked impatiently, walking up to join the others.

"B-but what about that bath up there with the blood? S-she might get mad if we see it!" Alfred stammered. Arthur stared at him for a moment, before a slow grin crept up on his face again.

"Ha! You finally listened? Usually you don't listen to me when I'm telling a story." He said, sounding all too joyous for Alfred's liking.

"It isn't true, is it!?" He accused.

"No, no, it's all real. I'm just surprised that you of all people remember all of the details." Arthur chuckled. This seemed to make Gilbert even more impatient.

"Then let's go see it! Come on! You guys are so slow!" At that, he took off up the stairs.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig yelled, then groaned and stared climbing the stairs after his brother, the others following somewhat reluctantly as well.

***

Kiku and Yao both raced into the kitchen with wide, panicked eyes.

"Ivan, aru? Are you in here?" Yao called, skidding to a stop. Kiku, who had been behind him due to his shorter legs, almost collided into him, but somehow managed to stop just behind Yao. Regaining his calm, he peered into the dark kitchen as well.

"Ivan-san? Are you alright?" Both of the Asians hesitantly took several more steps, looking around wearily while doing so. Finally, they caught sight of Ivan, who had his back towards them.

"Ivan! What was that crash, aru!?" Yao demanded, half relieved and half terrified. Ivan turned towards them, and both gasped. His eyes were red, but not like Gilbert's. There was no pupil, just all red eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness.

"So Ivan's his name, huh?" A girl's voice spoke as Ivan's mouth moved, and then a sickeningly sweet giggle came out, "He's a very bad boy. Sneaking up on me like that." Then, 'Ivan' walked up to the two, grinning a grin that did not match his usual features.

"Oh, how I am so lonely. I wish someone would come in and dance with me. Will you? I tire of the rest of the company." It hissed.

Then everything went black.

***

Kiku blinked awake groggily. He lifted his head, and pushed himself half up. He vaguely wondered where he was and what he was doing here. Then, all of his memories came flooding back to him in a rush that hurt his head.

A scream. A cry for help. Someone calling his name. Ivan, possessed and angry. Yao, being punched in the gut. Yao, flying into another room, unconscious. Heat. Unbearable heat.

"Y-Yao!?" Kiku called, panicked, and scrambled up on his unsteady feat. After wobbling for a moment, he finally regained his balance and looked around, "Oni-san!? Ivan-san!? Where are you guys?!?" His normally calm and passive personality was gone just like that, leaving him sounding scared and vulnerable. His eyes widened as he finally came to his senses.

Fire. That was the source of the unbearable heat. The house was on fire. Flames were dancing in the room he was in, which was the ballroom, from the kitchen. Smoke was in the air, making him cough uncontrollably and making his voice weaker than it was. His eyes skimmed the room for a way out, but his vision was blurry and he was still weak from having passed out.

"Oni-san!? Ivan-san!?" He called again weakly, coming to the decision that he would not leave without them. He forced himself to walk several steps, even though he could barely keep standing. He listened while scanning the debris that was already forming from the fire.

"Aww, look who's lost. Why bother looking for them? You betrayed one and hate the other. Stop wasting your time." A voice spoke from behind him. Kiku whirled around, but no one was there. It didn't matter. He knew that voice by now.

"Lacry-san. Where is my brother and Ivan-san?" He asked, and though his voice was weak, there was somewhat of a firm, resolute tone to it. He was answered by a giggle.

"You're so dumb. Do you not hear me? Why should I tell you where they are, if you aren't wanted in either of their lives?" Kiku frowned, then shook his head violently. He couldn't listen to her. She was just trying to get him to doubt himself. Though she wouldn't need to, the smoke was getting stronger and flames were lapping at the floor. He didn't have long, anyway. So, he walked unsteadily towards the door leading to the parlor. He knew he was being followed, though he ignored the ghost's presence.

"Ni-san? Ivan-san?" He called again. His voice was quiet, but it could be heard since the only other noise was the crackle of the fire. This room wasn't damaged yet. Lacry sighed from wherever she was behind him.

"Stop wasting your time already! You do know that you can only leave while I'm not in solid form? I'm regaining my strength as you wait!" Kiku glared in the direction of the voice, though he still couldn't see her.

"Why do you tell me that? Do you not wish to kill me like my brother and Ivan-san?" He asked, turning his gaze back to the room. The smoke had begun to enter this room as well, so he started to cough violently again.


	8. Fires and Feelings

**Chapter Eight:**

Francis stood in the doorway. The house was pitch black. Behind him, Matthew shuffled his feet nervously.

"W-Where are they?" Matthew whimpered. Francis glanced at him and instantly felt bad. The poor boy was shaking.

"Shh, Mathieu." He cooed quietly, wrapping an arm around his former charge in a way that was surprisingly innocent for him, "Don't make a sound. This is suspicious; the door refuses to open when I tried it." Matthew's eyes widened, but he listened and nodded, biting his lip to keep from speaking. Francis chuckled despite his unease, ruffling his hair lightly. He had always been a good listener, unlike his brother.

"Now follow me and don't stray anywhere." Francis whispered, beginning to walk into the house. Matthew was right on his heels. They didn't get far, though, because the moment Francis stepped on a rug the house burst into flames, smoke filling the air. Matthew yelped then began coughing, Francis beginning to cough a moment after him.

***

Yao's eyes flickered open. It was dark and uncomfortable hot. There was a stinging pain in his leg and a heavy weight on him. He groaned and tried to push it off, but then it began to move. Startled and waking up completely, Yao shoved it off roughly before scrambling to his feet. However, not a second after he stood, he collapsed back down on the floor, pain shooting up his leg and straight up his spine. Gasping for breath, he peered down to see burnt, ruined skin. His entire right leg was scarred, and it was a horrifying sight. But the sound of groaning next to him jolted his attention away from the pain, and he remembered the thing that had been crushing him. Rolling over and ignoring the seeing pain all over his body, he saw Ivan's limp form. Scrambling up into a half-sitting position, Yao shook his shoulder. Gently at first, but it got rougher with panic.

"Ivan? Ivan, aru! This isn't funny! Get up! Open your eyes, aru!" Yao demanded, trying to keep the panic out of his voice. Ivan's eyes flickered open before closing again.

"Yao…. I'm tired… let me sleep... for a bit…." He mumbled, rolling over so his back was turned to Yao.

"No! No, Ivan, aru! Get up now! We have to find…" Yao's voice faltered, the smoke starting to enter the room they were in and the coughs wracked his sides violently. Suddenly, his breath was taken out of his body as a sharp pain entered his side. Eyes wide, he moved his head slowly to gaze at Ivan, who looked blank.

A pipe was lodged in Yao's side.

***

Yao's pained scream echoed through the house, alerting Kiku. He scrambled up and out of the parlor, looking around into the dancing flames franticly.

"Ni-san!" He managed out somehow, his hands going up to his throat at the pain. He staggered for a moment, and gave a last panicked scream, "Aniki!?" Kiku toppled to the ground, too weak to stand up again. As his vision started to blur, he could see the bright flames creeping up on him and the heat becoming more intense and unbearable. He managed a weak cough before his world faded into blackness.

***

"Gilbert!?" Ludwig called when they all made it upstairs, "Gilbert where did you run off to?" Roderich sighed from next to him.

"He's probably hiding somewhere to try and scare us. I'll go look for him." He said. Arthur scowled.

"Are you bloody insane? What if you run into Lacry? Splitting up is the stupidest bloody thing you could ever hope to do in a haunted house." He scolded. Roderich glanced at him, an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

"I'll be fine. The safety of you guys is much more important than just me." He spoke quietly, and then Arthur understood. He stared at the other for a long moment, the two communicating through the gaze that said more than words ever possibly could. Arthur and Roderich were a lot alike, after all. They just never knew how much. Finally, Arthur nodded the smallest of nods and looked away.

"Alright. Just stay safe, alright?" The others all stared at Arthur. It was not every day that he backed down just like that. They wondered what had just happened. Roderich gave a small smile.

"I'll go find him and be back. Don't worry. I won't let that idiot get us all into trouble." He spoke softly, and then turned and walked further into the upper rooms. Ludwig frowned, trying to piece together what had just taken place. He had known Roderich for as long as he could remember, and he knew that he and his brother didn't always get along but there was always something different from the way others argued with each other and the way the two argued. He glanced at Arthur, who was frowning. That wasn't odd in any way; Arthur almost always was seen frowning. But this frown was different than usual. Was that a hint of… concern? No, it was the same unreadable emotion that had been in Roderich's eyes. What was that emotion, exactly, and who was it directed at? Ludwig followed Arthur's gaze, and found it was resting on Alfred. Alfred was pale and looking scared, though he was trying to hide it. That was when Ludwig understood, too. He gave a tiny, exasperated smile. Alfred and Gilbert were a lot alike too, it seemed. Both so unbelievably dense.

"Ve…? Ludwig, what are you smiling at…?" Feliciano spoke up from where he clung to Ludwig's arm, looking curious.

"Ah, it's nothing. We should go find a place to sit and wait for Roderich and my brother." He said to Arthur. Arthur tore his gaze away from Alfred slowly before remembering where he was. His eyes became sharp once more as he nodded and gestured for them to follow before walking off. Alfred followed behind like a puppy once more, Ludwig and Feliciano not far behind them. Feliciano was still whimpering and whining, and Ludwig pretended to pay attention. But, in truth, he was watching Arthur and Alfred as the two began to argue like they usually did. When he looked closely, he was able to see the way Arthur was looking fondly at the other blond, and the fact that his eyes flashed in a hidden pain whenever Alfred insulted him. It was hidden well, but it was also so obvious that Ludwig wondered why he never saw it before.

Of course, Alfred remained completely oblivious. The dense fool.

***

"F-Francis!" Matthew shrieked, vision blurring from the smoke and the fact that in his panic he had somehow lost his glasses.

"Mathieu! Don't move! Stay still and look for a way up the stairs!" Came the muffled yell. He sounded so far away. Where was he? Matthew, despite Francis's order, continued panicking.

"Francis! Francis, where are you?" He called out, his tone higher than normal in worry and scratchy because of the growing smoke, "Francis? Francis…!?"

"Mathieu, find a way upstairs! I will be fine, don't you ever doubt it!" The voice was becoming weaker and farther away.

"Francis…! Where are you? Where are you going?" He called franticly, trying to go towards the voice.

"No! Mathieu, go upstairs now! I'm going to be looking for the others! You get upstairs and try to find a way out!" Francis ordered, somehow making his voice firm.

"B…Bu-" Matthew's protests were cut off.

"Montez à l'étage en ce moment, Matthieu!" At the use of French, Matthew finally stopped protesting. He coughed before turning, tears starting to blur his vision, and trying to find the stairwell through the smoke. He berated himself for crying, he wasn't a child. He was independent. He could take care of himself and so could Francis. But that didn't stop him from worrying, not only about Francis but about the others, too. Alfred, his brother. Where was he? Was he burning somewhere? Arthur, the person who took care of him for the longest time and who loved him like a son, like a brother, like a friend even though he never could compare to Alfred. Was he trapped under decaying wood? And the others, he never knew them well and they never remembered him, but they were important, too. Where were they? Shaking his head, he found the stairwell. It wasn't blocked by flames yet, but the flames were slowly entering the room he was in. Covering his mouth to block the smoke, he rushed up the staircase in a hurry. Right now was not the time to worry. He had to find a way out, for Francis, for his brother, for Arthur, for everyone.

***

Francis made his way into the kitchen, his mouth buried in his sleeve. He looked around, his eyes unusually sharp despite the circumstances. He saw a figure collapsed on the ground and rushed towards it, worried. At first, he thought it was Arthur. It was short.

"Angleterre!" He said, voice cracking in worry and from the smoke. But upon nearing it, he made out a head of dark hair. His relief was stomped on almost immediately when he saw that the figure wasn't moving. Bending down, he brushed hair out of the figure's face. The figure was Kiku. Frantic, Francis checked for a pulse. There was one, but it was slow and weak. Sighing in relief and worry at the same time, Francis lifted him up. The Asian was surprisingly light, but he didn't pause to think about that. He needed to get Kiku to fresh air and fast so he could tend to him. He ran his gaze around the room once more, hoping to see someone else, but with no luck at that, he sprinted back into the main room to look for the stairwell he had seen before. He finally found it, but soon he took a sharp intake of breath.

The staircase was burning.


	9. Surprise!

**Chapter Nine:**

Roderich entered what was obviously the master bedroom quietly. It was large and the furniture was all the highest brands and quality with designs that would take the best artist's breath away. But Roderich didn't pay much attention to these things at all. He was busy looking around for Gilbert, who had yet to respond to his calls and had yet to come out from hiding. Roderich sighed and peered around the room, trying not to get lost in his thoughts and the constant nagging worry that was making his heart pound harder than usual. He had no idea why Gilbert of all people would bring out that worry. He always got in trouble with everyone all the time so he should be used to it by now. But Roderich never felt this worry towards anyone else, and had never stopped worrying about that idiot.

"Gilbert, god darn it, where the heck did you get to!?" He suddenly yelled, trying to will away the flush that had risen to his face. No. No, that wasn't right. But the reason for why he was so worried still nagged him in the back of his mind and he couldn't shake it off. That reason was preposterous! This was Gilbert, the person who irritated him day in and day out, who did everything he could to make Roderich's life miserable, who remained confident and strong even after the union with his brother had rendered him useless to the world, who was always there no matter what happened…

This was useless. Roderich rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh. Was this how Arthur constantly felt? Doomed to be chasing after somewhat of a lost cause forever because no matter how much they tried and no matter what happened they couldn't get rid of these feelings? Doomed to have, dare he say it, unrequited feelings forever? Roderich knew that he was the only one who could see through Arthur's words and actions since the beginning. Besides maybe Francis, but he didn't count. Roderich sighed once more before his gaze feel on a door that made all his thoughts run away. The bathroom. Of course! The stupid idiot had wanted to see that bath with the blood, hadn't he? And the door was cracked open; someone had obviously been through it.

"Gilbert!" He called once more, rushing towards the door. But at the last second, he slowed. Lacry might be in there. This could be a trap. But then again, it could be Gilbert just trying to scare them all to death. That was something he would do, wasn't it? Taking a deep breath, he crept up the rest of the way and peered in. He was unprepared for the sight that met his eyes.

***

The color that was in Yao's face slowly began to drain, and his eyes started to flutter close. Life sparked back in Ivan's eyes and he dropped the pipe, looking horrified.

"Y-Yao…? Yao!?" He repeated Yao's name over and over again, leaning over and shaking the other just as he had shaken him earlier. Suddenly, he heard a voice yell.

"Angleterre!" Ivan's eyes widened. That was Francis. If Francis was here, he could help. Ivan picked up Yao, who was surprisingly light, and rushed out of the room in a panic.

"Y-Yao has to stay awake, da? I'll go find Francis and Francis will know where the others are and we'll get help, da? S-So stay awake!" He said franticly, not even phased that the entire house was aflame in his panicked state. Yao was still slowly slipping out of consciousness, but his brown eyes opened and focused on Ivan's face.

"….Kiku… where is…. he….?" Yao's voice was raspy and weary, but there was an undeniable hopeful, worried, glimmer in his eyes. Ivan winced slightly.

"I-I don't know, but I heard Francis. M-maybe Francis has found him. I'm sure he's alright, right, da?" He stammered. The glimmer died a bit in Yao's eyes, but he nodded anyway. Soon, they reached the main room and saw Francis staring at the staircase, a limp form in his arms, "F-Francis!" Francis turned around, and Ivan gasped when he saw the dark head of hair on the figure he was holding. He bit his lip and turned so Yao couldn't see.

"Ivan, mon ami! I'm so glad that you found me! But this is no time for chitchat! What happened? Why is the house on fire?" Francis called, his voice oddly strong through the smoke. But before Ivan could answer, or even reach him, a voice answered Francis's question. Or more of distracted his attention from it.

"Oh, he won't be able to answer that question. I can. But you might be more interested in getting upstairs; your little friend won't be able to defend himself all alone."

***

Arthur, Alfred, Ludwig, and Feliciano sat in the main room, completely unaware that if they were in a different mood they would see four of their other companions and fire everywhere. Ludwig still observed Arthur silently, though his thoughts constantly wandered to Roderich and Gilbert. What was taking so long? Were they in trouble? He had no doubt that Roderich would find Gilbert anymore, Roderich and Arthur's little silent chat convinced him that the two would do anything for Gilbert or Alfred, depending on who you were looking at. But that didn't stop Ludwig from worrying.

"…Eh… so… uh… What should we do while we wait…?" Alfred spoke up, looking nervous. Ludwig caught the somewhat fond-disguised-as-exasperated eye roll Arthur did before speaking.

"Honestly Alfred, if you're scared just say so."

"Whaaat? No way, old man! It's you who's probably scared out of his wits!" Alfred exclaimed instantly.

"Oh, really? Please, Alfred. Don't be ridiculous. You've been shivering since I told the story." Arthur sighed. Ludwig caught the hidden message: _If you need comfort I'm right here. _

"Phff, yeah right!"

"Don't think I can't see." Feliciano had fallen silent, and was listening intently with Ludwig. The emotions in Arthur's eyes were finally becoming visible, he was finally showing them. Ludwig wondered if Roderich's sudden show of affection for Gilbert had anything to do with it. Even Feliciano saw it. Alfred didn't, though.

"You know, this is why I left! You always think you know everything about me but you don't! I'm not some predictable little kid anymore, Arthur!" This snapped Ludwig out of his thoughts. The not-so-hidden message hadn't gotten through and Alfred had raised the argument until it had reached this point. Arthur was taken by surprise, blinking with a tiny flicker of pain in his eyes. But, of course, him being the stubborn, difficult person he was, tried to hide it.

"Oh, really? I thought you left because I was giving you too much attention." There was still affection in his voice.

"Attention!? You were smothering me with unfair rules! And guess what? You still do! I would never come back, ever!" Alfred wasn't thinking. He didn't mean this. Ludwig saw that, he was just trying to cover up his fear with anger. But Arthur didn't. The pain was obvious in his eyes, and even Alfred noticed this. He froze mid-rant.

"…A-Arthur…?" He said, sounding worried. The pain in Arthur's eyes died down and was replaced by… nothing. There was nothing there. His expression was blank, his eyes empty.

"Oh. I see. This was a lost cause, then. All these years." His voice was void of any emotion as well, but there was an odd coldness to it. This made Alfred go pale.

"W-What are you talking about?" He laughed nervously, "Iggy? What, you going sentimental on us, old man?" Ludwig winced. Right, just add fuel to the fire, Alfred. Ludwig wanted to hit his forehead he was so frustrated at the two.

"No. You wouldn't like that, would you? A reminder of how you were once mine." Arthur stood up at this and began walking into a different room, not even looking back once.

"A-Arthur…? Where are you going!?" Alfred yelled, standing up, looking alarmed.

"Why does it matter where I'm going?" Arthur called back over his shoulder, not turning around. Alfred grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"Fine! Be a stuck-up jerk!" He hollered, sitting back down. Feliciano frowned, which was odd enough, and then he demanded something in a desperate and scolding tone that was even odder for the supposedly oblivious Feliciano.

"What are you doing!? Go after him! Go after him now!" He said, sounding panicked. Alfred frowned at him.

"Why should I?"

"Do you know what you just did!? Don't you care for him too?" Feliciano blurted. Alfred froze, staring at him.

"…What…. What do you mean by 'too'...?" He stammered quietly. Feliciano glanced at Ludwig nervously.

"Oh dear… I think I said too much… But don't you care for him…!?" He brought up that subject again, trying to cover up his mistake. This snapped Alfred out of his trance.

"Of course I friggen care for him! But he still sees me like a little brother! He never looked at me like an equal! I have to make him see that I can take care of myself!" Alfred's yells made Ludwig, snap too. He stood up, looking furious.

"Are you stupid!?" Feliciano and Alfred both stared at him with wide eyes, "Do you not see the way he looks at you? Hear the affection in his voice? Mein Gott you all are so oblivious it's annoying! And there you go telling him you'll never care for him the same way and you don't even go after him when he's obviously hurting!" Ludwig huffed before sitting back down, annoyed. Alfred was still startled.

"Arthur doesn't… there's no way… after the Revolution…." He stammered again, eyes wide.

"Yes, he does! So what if you guys fought? You were both allies during both world wars! Did you already forget the term 'Special Relationship'!?" Ludwig was still irritated at both of the two's stubbornness.

"But he… He always criticizes me and yells at me, there's no wa-"

"Do you honestly think Arthur is the type of person to just go up to someone and confess their feelings? No, he'll keep it bottled up inside until it hurts too much to keep going. That's why you have to go after him! Who knows what he'll do now, when he all his hope that you guys have been growing closer was just thrown out the window!" Ludwig cut him off mid-sentence. Alfred blinked again, the truth finally dawning on him slowly.

"…Oh crud… Oh crud, Arthur! What the heck!?" He yelled, standing up and racing in the direction Arthur had disappeared in. Ludwig sighed and sank back in his chair. Feliciano grinned at him.

"I didn't know you felt so strongly about the relationships of others!" He giggled. Ludwig frowned and rubbed his forehead.

"No, I don't. But those two are too much like Roderich and Gilbert and I see them too much for it to not bother me." He grumbled, "Besides, I only just realized the two's problems today when Roderich and Arthur had that episode upstairs and since then it's been getting on my nerves."


End file.
